Our View: Perception problem or real one?

Twice in the past month, we've reported crimes within the city of Monroe that apparently could be easily solved but appeared to languish.

One involved a theft from a local chef who located his missing items and reported their precise location to the Monroe Police Department, which then fumbled making a move to arrest the perpetrator. The other involved a local attorney who was stabbed during an altercation at his home and wound up seeking the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office's assistance in making an arrest.

Now, here's where it gets a little tricky.

Depending on your socio-economic status and the geographic location of your residence, these two apparently isolated incidents are either a big deal or they're the status quo.

The political implications also run deep. There are those, including some former Monroe police officers, who would like nothing more than for Police Chief Quentin Holmes to fail. And there are those working overtime to make Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo also look bad.

In both incidents, the theft and the stabbing, a sense of urgency, aggressive pursuit of crime and concern for the victims on the part of those representing the Monroe Police Department could have made all the difference in the world.

Ordinary people expect their police department to act and react swiftly to their problems. When we need law enforcement, we expect them to be there for us and we don't give a flip about other priorities. Ordinary people also often don't think about how to "make something happen" by involving the media or the district attorney.

We are not privy to caseloads, internal politics and other barriers that may have influenced what failed to happen in these two very public incidents.

But we do know this: Perception easily becomes reality.

The public perception of the Monroe Police Department's performance in these two high-profile cases is poor, no matter whether you live on the north side or the south side. Equally troubling is the lack of urgency in addressing these issues with the citizens who employ these public servants.

The mayor and the chief have been silent on this issue except to release a statement: "Chief Holmes has advised that he is going to review existing policies regarding the above incident (the attorney stabbing) to ensure that the Monroe Police Department is providing quality service in every case reported."

From the standpoint of public confidence in the Monroe Police Department, that's a totally inadequate response. "Reviewing policies" is bureaucrat speak, not addressing citizens face-on who have honest concerns. Those working overtime to make the chief and the mayor look bad didn't have to work too hard in these two cases.

And, it feeds the public perception that there's not aggressive pursuit of crime, no matter where you live.

But then, depending on your socio-economic status and the geographic location of your residence, that's either a big deal or it's the status quo.

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Our View: Perception problem or real one?

Twice in the past month, we've reported crimes within the city of Monroe that apparently could be easily solved but appeared to languish.